Inside the Nick Sirianni phone call that changed Parris Campbell's NFL future
Parris Campbell didn't want to accept a role on a practice squad. Not even the Philadelphia Eagles.
A former second-round pick, Campbell had too much pride to even think about being on a practice squad — much less accepting a role on one.
"I immediately was like, no. That's not me. That's not for me," Campbell said this week. "I kind of shut the door on it. I talked to my agent and he was kind of like, 'Do you want to do practice squad?' I just shut the door on it."
Then Campbell started thinking about his future in the NFL. What if this was it? What if the Eagles were his last chance?
Campbell was already on his third team in six seasons and only had over 200 yards receiving in a season once in that span. He may have been an afterthought in NFL circles at age 27. What team would actually put Campbell on an active roster?
"About a couple hours went by, and I was sitting there, thinking about what would be next, if I would get a call from another team, or if it was the end of the road," Campbell said. "I started praying, and I said, 'If I'm meant to be here in Philly, I'll open that door back up.'"
Just 10 minutes later, Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni called Campbell. Sirianni already had a relationship with Campbell back with the Indianapolis Colts when Sirianni was Campbell's offensive coordinator. This is how Campbell ended up on the Eagles in the first place.
"'We're going to need you, man,'" Sirianni said to Campbell. "'We're going to need you to make some plays. We're going to need you — I know this isn't how you wanted it to go, but we're going to need you for this journey that we're going on. We've got faith in you.'"
That phone call convinced Campbell he needed to be with the Eagles, even if it was on their practice squad. Philadelphia was it.
"I was just in a bad spot, man, to be honest," Campbell said. "I had never seen myself as being in this league and then getting cut, getting released. I never saw that for myself. It was just a prideful thing: the amount of work you put into this, the time and effort and sacrifices. All of that just to get let go."
The Eagles need Campbell more than ever, especially with DeVonta Smith and Britain Covey out and the uncertainty of A.J. Brown. They need a veteran Jalen Hurts can trust in the offense. They need Campbell.
At this stage in his career, there's nothing Campbell can't handle.
"I've kind of seen every aspect in this league now," Campbell said. "I've seen being a starter for a number of years. I've seen being injured. I've seen, last year, being inactive. This year, I've seen being cut and being on the practice squad. So I've seen every rank you could possibly be, so it definitely helps."
This isn't how Campbell envisioned his career going, yet the NFL is built on multiple chances. If Campbell didn't listen to Sirianni, he may not have gotten another one.
"I was kind of overwhelmed mentally," Campbell said. "But I'm glad I stuck it out."